The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1887-07-02
"Marse John. has been a good nipperpr

jeff asked. -'eH0''
JEFF, better heart than yours no man
has got. And John took his hand.
"Is good, Marse John, good"
"Of course you are, jeff We all know
that.
rs l good enough ter git ter hebbip?"
II believe you are. If any one goes To
heaven, believe you will, Jeff, for YOU have
always been church member, and tried to
be a consistent one.
Gould yer read for me A little in as
Bible, Marse johnl"
John opened the family Bible, and some
how it happened that it was at the Epistle
of John, fifteenth chapter
John commenced to read. The lines from
the sacred volume brought comfort To the
stricken people. When John reached the
passage where it says: Greater love hath no
man than this, that a man lay down his life
for his friends, look of great happiness
overspread the face of the dying negro.
Is gitln' col, Marse John, but rs ready
tor 60"
He then called each Of the family up and
took an atfectionate farewell. While the
friends about were weeping. a calm. re-
| signed look overspresd his countenance.
Miss Lille, he said, as the two fair
hands clasped his cold, clammy one. "you's
alters bin good chile, and dis ole Niger
would hev done died fer yer any time. but
Is nearly gone now. Please sometimes
remember yer ole niger frien. jeff"
Tears and sobs came in spite of all her
efforts to control her feelings, and she could
| only exclaim:
God bless you. jeff God bless voul"
Near by sat Sylvia, calm and quiet, but it
was the calmness of despair.
"Marse John"
"Nhat Jen?"
as yer darkeniu the winder?7
mo, jeff, no one is III the light"
Den Is nearly gone | cant see no
mo-"
After moment he asked for Lille.
what can do for you, jeff" she asked.
Sing, Jesus, lubber oh my soul,
please"
For an instant the words trembled on
the fair girls lips, and then the melody
broke on the air, and the rich voice of the
girl, and the peculiar circumstances, gave it
an effect that was never again experienced
by the people there on that sad occasion.
Heal the sick, and lead the blind
AS the last word sank away, jeff partly
raised himself up, and reaching out his
hands. looked rpturously up:
rs er cummin', Dressed Lawd! rs er
cummin'."
These were the last words that the lips
of the noble colored man ever uttered He
fell back upon the bed; his eyes closed;
his hands rested calmly on his breast; he
was dead!
The loss of such friend, and at such a
time, our friends knew was great caIam-
lty, and il was truly mourning people
that watched at the bedside of the dead that
night
The next day the household assembled
IN the little family burylng- ground, to pay
the last sad tribute to the memory Of the
noble jeff, and deposited the remains in
the ground
John read the burial service, and fer
vent prayer was offered. Then there was
nothing left above the earth of the negro
that was faithful unto death but the mem
DRY of him IN the hearts of his friends,
which was as irTeyoCable as the stars of
heaven.
The men in the mansion now knew that
they had the advantage of the bushwhack-
ers, and they determined to follow 1t up.
They made preparations to go to the river,
and on the following morning early they
started. They took an untnveled route
and reached the river again below the camp.
Everything was stul except the chirping
of the squirrels in the branches Of the
trees.
Soon they reached a point from where
they could look into the camp. The FIRE
was out, and not being in sight They
went closer and soon saw that the camp was
deserted.
In looking about they soon found a
large, freshly built mound. Our friends
knew why it had been built, and what 1t
contained. Rocks had been piled on top to
keep out wild animals, for there were
several now inotfensiye bushwhackers
buried beneath.
Our friends could not tell how many of
their foes were lying there, but the number
appeared quite respectable.
The men continued on up the river.
thinking that the remaining nen might
have established their camp at the place
where Lille had been held prisoner. but
when they arrived there they found moth
ing but a smoldering ruin. The prison
had been fired when the men vacated the
camp.
John and his friends were confident that
the bushwhackers had left the locality, they
hoped never to return.
Who of them had been killed in the late
encounter none could tell, but that there
was only a small number left no one could
doubt, for at least half the attacking band
had been buried by the plantation hands,
back of the Eddles mansion, the next dav
after the fight.
They now had some hopes of a short
peace. and felt relieved as they retaced
their steps homeward. OF course they
feared that they were likely to again be
bothered by these brush thieves, who were
robbing others of their property to enrich
themselves.
The Eddles people were the only ones in
this whole region who had successfully re-
sisted the robbers; and they had either
gone for assistance to try and destroy them
or had become dispirited at their many
repulses and great loss of life, and given
them up as lnvlncible.
Time passed monotonously by at the
mansion. There then began to be rumors
of the approach of soldiers. 1t seemed now
that this part of Arkansas was to see some
of the severe effects of war.